Chapter 934: Absorption

Holy crap, where are Like Ya Bao's teeth?!

After the initial shock, an uncontrollable ache surged into Qiao Sang's heart.

For the Fire Tooth Dog species, their teeth are the hardest and sharpest weapons on their entire bodies.

They often compete over whose teeth are the hardest, and they take great pride in them.

Yet, such important fangs—Like Ya Bao's had actually broken!

What exactly had it just gone through?

A flash of shock also crossed Steel Treasure's eyes.

Mikayla was very surprised to see Like Ya Bao before her.

She had guessed that the Flame Yan Qiru might have fainted, but she never imagined it would lose a tooth during this battle.

"Super Xunxun!"

Little Treasure Hunter clenched its claws into fists and held them before its mouth, wearing an expression of disbelief.

"Ice Emperor…"

Lu Bao wore a look of astonishment, followed immediately by a flash of anger in its eyes.

The gem on its forehead lit up with a ghostly blue glow.

"Yaya!"

However, before the light could shine over, Like Ya Bao suddenly displayed an expression of extreme pain, and black-red, ultra-high-temperature flames erupted across its entire body.

"Molten Armor!!!"

Immediately following, a roar of extreme fury echoed once more from the magma.

This time, the sound was much closer than before; it seemed the Molten Armor Dragon was approaching rapidly.

Qiao Sang suppressed the various emotions in her heart and made a prompt decision:

"Let's go first!"

"Super Xunxun!"

Little Treasure Hunter maintained its posture with fists held to its mouth, its eyes glowing blue.

The next second, the group vanished from where they stood.

The magma boiled and surged as a massive red figure suddenly burst forth from within.

"Molten Armor!!!"

Seeing the empty ground, the Molten Armor Dragon, face full of rage, let out a roar that seemed to shake the entire underground.

Without any restraint, it unleashed the majestic aura from its body to the fullest.

The powerful aura swept over everything like a tidal wave, rapidly spreading throughout the entire underground.

Beneath the ground, all the pet beasts within a radius of several dozen miles began to flee in a panic.

……

Above ground, in a canyon between two cliffs, Lu Bao continuously cast Healing Light upon Like Ya Bao.

Yet, despite this, within five seconds of the Healing Light being cast, black-red flames would inevitably reignite on Like Ya Bao's body, accompanied by cries of extreme agony.

How could it be like this… Seeing the scene before her, Qiao Sang felt a surge of intense helplessness in her heart.

Ever since she had Lu Bao's Healing Light, she had never worried about any injury, no matter how severe. This was also why she dared to fight all-out in secret realms, even when encountering opponents stronger than herself.

But never before had she encountered an injury that even Lu Bao's Healing Light was powerless to fix.

"Ice Emperor…"

Lu Bao's forehead gradually beaded with sweat, and she increased her energy to release the Light of Healing onto Like Ya Bao's body.

Suddenly, Mikayla spoke up:

"Wait."

Lu Bao ignored her and continued casting Healing Light.

"Wait for a moment," Qiao Sang said.

Only then did Lu Bao stop casting Healing Light.

"Super Xunxun…"

Little Treasure Hunter wanted to approach Like Ya Bao, but was repeatedly deterred by the black-red flames erupting from its body. It could only stay beside its Beast Tamer, wearing a worried expression.

Qiao Sang turned to look at "Xu Xu Gehong," signaling for her to continue.

The other person's image had already become reliable in her heart.

Whether it was the barrier cast earlier to predict the Magma Pillar, or later helping to fish Like Ya Bao out from beneath the magma, it was clear that the person before her was hiding her true strength and was not simple.

After all, the opponent just now was a Molten Armor Dragon.

Furthermore, setting aside the barrier that could withstand the Magma Pillar, she was certain that even with her and Little Treasure Hunter's empathic positioning, they absolutely could not have found Like Ya Bao in the magma and controlled it to come up within three seconds.

Mikayla continued: "If I'm not mistaken, the Flame Yan Qiru must have absorbed some kind of powerful fire-element resource and couldn't absorb it in time, which is why it turned out like this."

She paused, then added:

"In this situation, it's better not to keep healing it, because when the pain caused by absorption reaches a certain level, it will gradually become numb over time, subsequently developing a certain tolerance. But if you heal it so frequently, the volatile energy inside stabilizes and then explodes, stabilizes and then explodes, which will only keep it feeling that unbearable, intense pain."

Absorbed some kind of powerful fire-element resource? Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment.

"Yaya!"

At this moment, black-red flames erupted across Like Ya Bao's entire body again, and it let out a cry of extreme pain.

The temperature was so high that the air nearby fell into a distorted state.

Qiao Sang immediately gathered her thoughts and asked anxiously:

"Are we just going to leave it be and let it endure this?"

Mikayla did not answer immediately. She stared at Like Ya Bao for a few seconds, a hint of uncertainty flashing in her eyes.

To be honest, the black-red flames combined with the magma location all pointed toward the Molten Bright Fire Seed.

Otherwise, if the Flame Yan Qiru had absorbed Molten Bright Crystals, even high-quality ones, it shouldn't have ended up like this.

After all, it was a General-level pet beast, its main attribute was fire, and most importantly, it knew super-tier fire skills like Magma Purgatory, which was enough to show it had extremely high talent for the fire element.

Therefore, its absorption of fire-element resources should be easier than other fire-element pet beasts of the same tier.

Yet, it was clearly in a state of being unable to absorb and on the verge of extreme destruction.

Unless it was the true Molten Bright Fire Seed, she couldn't think of anything else beneath the magma that would cause the Flame Yan Qiru to be in this state.

But if it was the Molten Bright Fire Seed, how did the Flame Yan Qiru find and absorb it?

One had to know that even if a General-level pet beast saw such a resource from afar, it should be able to sense the danger; how could it possibly take the initiative to absorb it into its body?

Mikayla gathered her chaotic thoughts and said:

"Continue to let the Ice Emperor Ram cast Healing Light, just not as frequently as before. Once every two minutes is enough."

Qiao Sang immediately took out her phone and watched the time.

Lu Bao stared along with her.

"Yaya!"

Like Ya Bao screamed heart-wrenchingly, as if being roasted in black-red fire.

Qiao Sang listened to Like Ya Bao's screams while staring fixedly at the time on her phone; every second felt incomparably agonizing.

Suddenly, she thought of something and said in a firm, low voice:

"Like Ya Bao must have absorbed the Molten Bright Fire Seed you mentioned."

I didn't expect you to have such an eye for this… Mikayla heard this and looked at Qiao Sang in surprise, not committing to a definitive answer:

"It's highly probable, but I can't be certain yet."

To be honest, she really couldn't be sure. Even if the Flame Yan Qiru's situation was very similar to absorbing the Molten Bright Fire Seed, it was still too inconceivable for a General-level pet beast to approach and absorb it.

Even if the Flame Yan Qiru didn't know what the Molten Bright Fire Seed was, it should have sensed the danger of the fire seed.

Moreover, the Molten Armor Dragon was also in the magma at the time.

Wait, the Molten Armor Dragon… Mikayla thought of something and was suddenly stunned.

She remembered the Molten Armor Dragon's roar was very angry at the time. If the Flame Yan Qiru had swallowed the Molten Bright Fire Seed right in front of it, its anger made sense…

Could it be that the Flame Yan Qiru really swallowed the Molten Bright Fire Seed?!

As soon as this possibility seemed to soar to over 95%, Mikayla looked at Like Ya Bao with a mix of shock and suspicion.

It must be the Molten Bright Fire Seed… Qiao Sang's heart sank.

She remembered Like Ya Bao's evolution location was nearby. In this situation, it looked like the evolution time was during this trip into the secret realm.

She wasn't as happy as she had imagined. Like Ya Bao was still only at the mid-General level; even if it reached the late-General level perfection, it was fundamentally unsuitable for absorbing resources far beyond what it could bear.

In this state of extremely unstable energy, it was impossible to add points, otherwise, the already unstable energy in its body might just explode at a single touch.

Qiao Sang thought while watching the time on her phone, and when it reached a certain point, she said quickly:

"Heal."

Lu Bao, who had been prepared, lit up the gem on its forehead with a ghostly blue glow, shining it onto Like Ya Bao.

"Yaya…"

The black-red flames on Like Ya Bao's body vanished, and its expression calmed down briefly.

Mikayla looked at Like Ya Bao: "If it really did absorb the Molten Bright Fire Seed, there is a way to alleviate its pain."

Qiao Sang turned her head and asked impatiently:

"What is it?"

"Let it go into the magma to absorb it," Mikayla said in a low voice. "If the Flame Yan Qiru really absorbed the Molten Bright Fire Seed, then the power of the Molten Bright Fire Seed will be relatively milder within the magma. However, conversely, the Flame Yan Qiru's absorption time will be longer."

"But even so, the destructive power caused by the Molten Bright Fire Seed inside the Flame Yan Qiru is still great, so you must let the Ice Emperor Ram help heal it at intervals."

If it were any other General-level pet beast, swallowing the Molten Bright Fire Seed would definitely be hopeless, but Qiao Sang had the Ice Emperor Ram. Moreover, when the Flame Yan Qiru swallowed the Molten Bright Fire Seed, it didn't let the energy inside consume it entirely, which showed its resistance and absorption of the fire element were extraordinary.

With both factors combined, if the Flame Yan Qiru's willpower could hold out, it should be able to weather this crisis.

"Then let's go now!" Qiao Sang said without a second thought.

After saying this, she realized it was inappropriate.

That Molten Armor Dragon was in the magma; it would definitely attack Like Ya Bao.

For safety's sake, she had to take down the Molten Armor Dragon first!

Just as Qiao Sang's brain was racing to figure out how to solve the Molten Armor Dragon problem, Mikayla spoke up:

"You don't need to worry about that Molten Armor Dragon. My Hidden Stealth Shield has spatial concealment, which can make the area where the Flame Yan Qiru is located invisible to the Molten Armor Dragon."

Spatial concealment, a high-tier Psychic-type skill, could hide a certain space. When reaching a certain proficiency, even any aura within that space could be perfectly hidden.

Qiao Sang looked at her and said sincerely:

"Thank you."

The two returned underground.

By this time, there wasn't a single fire-element pet beast left around.

"Hidden Stealth."

Eyes glowing with blue light appeared out of thin air.

Immediately after, a transparent barrier enveloped the entire area.

Looking from outside the barrier, everything here was calm, with no figures and no aura.

"Like Ya Bao, go in and absorb it. Every hour, Little Treasure Hunter will control you to come out and let Lu Bao heal you, so don't worry," Qiao Sang instructed word by word. "If you can't take it beforehand, just call out, and we'll heal you early."

"Ya."

Having just been healed and briefly restored to a stable state, Like Ya Bao called out in low spirits.

It regretted swallowing this flame just to anger that Molten Armor Dragon. It hadn't expected that after swallowing it, there would be so much trouble, and everyone was helping it clean up the mess.

Qiao Sang sensed Like Ya Bao's emotions and cheered it on:

"Absorb it well, maybe you can rely on this Molten Bright Fire Seed to evolve directly!"

Hey, although the Molten Bright Fire Seed is a heavenly treasure and can even let a Molten Armor Dragon evolve to the Emperor level, not all fire-element pet beasts can rely on it to evolve. Your Flame Yan Qiru's evolution path is unknown, the Molten Bright Fire Seed might not necessarily let your Flame Yan Qiru evolve… Mikayla glanced silently at Qiao Sang.

"Ya!"

Like Ya Bao was stunned for a moment, then its eyes lit up fiercely.

The next second, black-red flames erupted on its body.

"Yaya!"

Like Ya Bao let out a heart-wrenching scream, then looked at the magma, its gaze gradually becoming firm, and jumped in without hesitation.

"Super Xunxun…"

Little Treasure Hunter looked at the magma and sighed.

Big Brother Like Ya Bao is so miserable; its fur is gone, its teeth are gone, and it was even tricked by its own Beast Tamer into thinking it would evolve.

Evolutions all have white light; Like Ya Bao is so miserable, with its whole body burning in fire, how could it possibly be evolving?

Qiao Sang sat cross-legged, looking at the time on her phone for a while, then at the movement in the magma, then sensing Like Ya Bao's state; her heart couldn't calm down at all.

"Don't worry," Mikayla sat beside her and comforted her. "It will be fine."

I know… Qiao Sang said to herself.

She had already predicted the scene of Like Ya Bao's evolution, which meant its evolution was successful, but this process made her feel a bit heartbroken.

"I know." Qiao Sang didn't say what was in her heart.

Then, she thought of something and asked with concern: "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"

Mikayla was stunned for a moment, a bit unaccustomed to being cared for like this in her current identity.

To be honest, she felt this was the first time Qiao Sang had given her such a good look since entering the secret realm.

"A little," Mikayla said.

Qiao Sang glanced at Little Treasure Hunter.

"Super Xunxun~"

Little Treasure Hunter immediately took off its ring and skillfully took out food from inside.

It hadn't forgotten that the other person had helped fish Big Brother Like Ya Bao out of the magma in a short time.

Mikayla took the fruit and took a bite.

Time passed minute by minute, and the sky above ground had turned to daytime.

During this period, Qiao Sang calculated the time and let Little Treasure Hunter control Like Ya Bao to come out for healing.

Although Like Ya Bao was still very painful whenever the black-red flames ignited, seeing that Like Ya Bao didn't show any more serious conditions, Qiao Sang finally felt slightly relieved.

No more serious conditions appeared, which meant the current approach was correct.

When Like Ya Bao jumped into the magma again after receiving treatment, Qiao Sang suddenly thought of something, her body stiffened, and she turned her head to ask:

"Where is Guo Guo Ruiqi?"

Mikayla: "…"

"Where is Guo Guo Ruiqi?" She turned her head to look at the air.

"Hidden Stealth…"

The voice of the "Hidden Stealth Shield" sounded, indicating to wait a moment.

"It says wait a moment," Mikayla repeated.

Five seconds later, Guo Guo Ruiqi suddenly appeared out of thin air and was placed on the ground.

Guo Guo Ruiqi had big dark circles under his eyes and looked confused. When he saw the familiar figures before him, he almost cried with joy:

"Senior Qiao, it's great that you aren't hurt! Is it all over?!"

Qiao Sang didn't dare to look him in the eye, staring at the magma and saying in a low voice:

"It's not over yet."

Hearing this, Guo Guo Ruiqi's expression of crying with joy vanished instantly. He followed her gaze to the magma and became terrified.

Qiao Sang continued: "We might have to go find the Lele Seeds a bit later."

Guo Guo Ruiqi's breathing became cautious:

"May I ask why?"

"Because the Flame Yan Qiru absorbed something it shouldn't have, and it's currently in a state of extremely unstable energy inside its body, needing time to absorb and recover," Mikayla explained.

Qiao Sang didn't speak, indicating that was correct.

So that's how it is… Guo Guo Ruiqi breathed a sigh of relief and said immediately:

"Of course no problem, Like Ya Bao's recovery is the most important. Anyway, the Lele Seeds can't be found in a short while."

One hour later, when Guo Guo Ruiqi saw Like Ya Bao screaming miserably, its whole body burning with black-red flames, and even having lost a fang, he immediately realized the problem seemed much more serious than he had imagined.

His heart sank, and he didn't dare to speak again, sitting silently.

……

Time flew by.

Qiao Sang couldn't remember exactly how long had passed, only that many hours had gone by.

Her attention on her phone wasn't on the date, but on the time.

The fire-element pet beasts in the distance didn't know when they had reappeared, but they seemed unable to see the movement here, going about their own business, not even glancing this way.

Qing Bao had long been summoned from the Beast Taming Tome.

Although it didn't like the underground environment and temperature, it had never expressed a desire to go out, just quietly accompanying Qiao Sang.

In the Beast Taming Tome, it had seen everything that happened outside.

Every once in a while, the Molten Armor Dragon's angry roars would come from afar.

The fire-element pet beasts were scared into scattering and gathering, gathering and scattering…

Such things had happened many times.

Qiao Sang and Guo Guo Ruiqi would initially be scared into standing up subconsciously upon hearing the Molten Armor Dragon's roars, looking vigilantly in the direction of the sound.

Later on, the two became numb, doing whatever they were doing without even moving their butts.

23 minutes left… Qiao Sang stared at the time on her phone, calculating the time until the next hour.

Suddenly, the magma boiled, forming a vortex.

Immediately after, a massive black-red firelight burst out from the magma vortex, shooting straight up toward the barrier.

Mikayla's eyes narrowed, and she said:

"Disperse."

As soon as the words fell, the transparent barrier dissipated.

Without obstruction, the black-red firelight instantly broke through the rocks above and reached the surface.

Qiao Sang looked up, following the hole that had been smashed open.

She saw the black-red firelight reach the blue sky outside, turning into an exceptionally dazzling and scorching white light, as blinding as another sun.